Metro Manila, Philippines – A new impeachment complaint was filed against Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday, Feb. 9, the third move to unseat her from power in a week – which a lawmaker described as an “improved version” of the previous articles of impeachment against the second highest official.
A group of lawyers and religious people filed the complaint, citing culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, plunder and/or malversation, bribery, graft and corruption, and other high crimes. It was the same group who filed the third ouster bid against Duterte in 2024.
It mentioned Duterte’s alleged fund misuse as vice president and former Education Secretary, the assasination threats she made against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family, and her supposed unexplained wealth, among others.
In an interview, Rev. Fr. Joselito Sarabia, impeachment complainant, said holding Duterte accountable is a moral concern.
“We are saying to our kids, to our children, it’s not right to steal. It’s not right to lie,” he said.
Rev. Fr. Joel Saballa, another complainant, said the impeachment process also gives Duterte a chance to respond to the allegations against her.
Amando Ligutan, the group’s legal counsel, noted that the sworn statements of Ramil Madriaga, Duterte’s alleged bagman, explained how funds were supposedly misused.
“The case will stand even without the affidavit of Ramil Madriaga. And here comes, out of the blue, providing the missing link, so to speak, on how the vice president actually did it. Ramil Madriaga’s affidavit narrates how the P125 million were actually spent [in] December 2022,” pertaining to the controversial spending in 11 days.
The Makabayan coalition filed the first complaint on Feb. 2, citing betrayal of public trust due alleged fund misuse. Its three members were the endorsers.
A group of civil society and religious leaders later on submitted a separate complaint, outlining five grounds: culpable violations of the Constitution, graft and corruption, bribery, betrayal of public trust and other high crimes. Akbayan Rep. Perci Cendaña and De Lima endorsed this.
READ: Two ouster bids vs. Duterte refiled; mixed interpretations of one-year bar rule
“Improved version”
Mamamayang LIberal (ML) Rep. Leila De Lima, the endorser of the second complaint filed last week, endorsed the third ouster bid.
She said there was no prohibition for a lawmaker to endorse more than one complaint.
De Lima described the third complaint as an “improved version” of the archived articles of impeachment transmitted to the Senate in 2025.
“Noong nakita ko na po ‘yung complaint mismo, nakita ko ‘yung marami siyang mga supporting evidence, sigurado rin po ako just like the second complaint, napapasa ito sa stage ng pag-determine ng sufficiency informant substance,” she added.
[Translation: When I saw the complaint itself, I noticed that it had many pieces of supporting evidence. I am also confident that, just like the second complaint, it will pass the stage of determining the sufficiency of the information’s substance.]
In July 2025, the Supreme Court (SC) ruled that Duterte’s first impeachment was unconstitutional for violating the one-year bar rule or the provision that prohibits more than one impeachment proceeding against a high ranking official in one year.
The Senate archived the case and did not proceed to trial, in light of the ruling.
The court upheld this decision in January, denying with finality the House of Representatives appeal by unanimous vote.
“Political argument”
Meanwhile, De Lima also slammed Duterte’s criticisms on the complaint she and the Akabayan group endorsed, calling it a political argument.
Over the weekend, Duterte brushed off and singled out the Akbayan-sponsored complaint, calling it baseless.
De Lima said the vice president’s remarks may be politically motivated.
“That’s probably her motivation, that’s something we have to look into her state of mind. Pero [But] it’s a political argument. Not at all with respect to the legal merits, substantive merits of the complaint,” she said, when asked about her views on the potential rivalry of Duterte and Hontiveros, Akbayan’s chairman emeritus, as the driver of the vice president’s criticisms.
Although ranking in pre-election presidential surveys, both Duterte and Hontiveros have not yet formally announced their bid for higher office in 2028.
